Goodbye Facebook

For those of you who doubted whether I'd actually do this...it's done! Im going to ring in the new year sans Facebook. I will still be on twitter because that is not being used as a primary means of contact - however if it becomes that then I will delete that too! I am hoping that we can raise our kids to know what human contact is outside of technology :) plus, I want to hold myself accountable for spending time catching up with those in my life instead of stalking on Facebook.

29 Weeks done!!!

Our friends, Brandon and Jess, got us the BEST gift ever this year...a POPCORN MAKER! It's one of those things that I didn't know that I needed until I needed it. My brother introduced me to stove top popped popcorn last October when he was up visiting. I thought I had the best set-up possible being able to pop it on the stove - especially when microwave popcorn has loosely been linked to infertility (and at that point in my journey I was grasping at any flavor of the week reason for our struggle). I rarely have microwave popcorn now that I'm pregnant. I only have it when I have a hankering for Kettle Corn which at some point I will learn how to make myself. 

Anywho - to get back on track... When over at Brandon and Jess's we would often have popcorn at my request made with their popcorn maker. It's so easy and little to no cleanup! Whereas using the pot on the stove ruined the bottom of my large pot with the oil burns. I was thrilled and touched when I unwrapped this gift because it really came from the heart. They remembered something that they knew we loved and that we didn't have and picked it up. We purchased for them a gift card to their very favorite restaurant that we then found out they would be going to for New Year's Eve (and it's a restaurant Jesse has boycotted because we have yet to find a menu item that wets our whistles). 

In other news...I LOVE APPLE! I have been an apple customer since my Gateway stopped working DURING MY THESIS in February of 2007 - that date will stick in my head for forever. Then, Jesse and I got iPhones in November of 2008 which we updated in November of 2010 and then I got a new laptop for my birthday/Christmas/every-holiday-until-Jesse-deems-it-paid-off this past August. A few years ago Jesse's iPod that I had purchased him for Christmas (oh, did I mention we've each had 2 iPods over the years?) started acting funny at about the same time as Jake ate through a USB cord and I wanted to make sure that he didn't damage port or the motherboard. So, we brought the laptop in to the Genius bar to get it looked at and brought his iPod along in the event that could get looked at too. The laptop was fine, and Jesse's iPod got replaced for free even though it was out of the warranty. 

Fast forward to the last few months. Well, let's go back farther to winter 2010. I was out in Boston after recently getting the iPhone 4 for a night out to celebrate a birthday. I went to the bathroom not remembering that my phone was in my back pocket and it went flying into the toilet - pre-pee so it was a "fresh" bowl (as fresh of a bowl as you can get in Boston at a bar). Before I could think I reached it and pulled it out and watched it shut itself down. I was devastated! However, 45 minutes later I attempted to turn it on because I was obsessing over it and it turned on and worked fine! When I got home I put it in rice for about 24 hours just to get the rest of the moisture out. Now fast forward to this summer. The home button (the circle at the bottom) stopped working for a few days here, a few days there. The home button is needed to switch from, say, email to making a phone call. I had to turn my phone off to do something different. But, only for a few days/hours at a time. I put off dealing with it until this week when I realized there was a correlation between dropping it and the home button not working. 

So Jesse and I went to the apple store. I explained the problem. Of course, my phone was 36 days out of service. The man explained I would need to pay for a repair/replacement to the tune of $149. You know that anxiety that creeps up when you get told you have to pay something you weren't planning on? Well, that's how I felt. I got hot, sweaty, probably red in the face, and started rubbing my forehead. However, Jesse and I agreed that it had to be paid for. The man went in to the back to get my replacement phone and when he came out he simply stated "You've bought many apple products in the past. Please enter your information for your replacement phone." to which I obliged. Then when I was done, he handed me the slip to sign and said "We are going to take care of the cost for you today in the hopes you will continue to be a loyal Apple customer." and I started crying because I was so happy! I will, of course, continue to pay slightly more for a better quality product that the company will not only back-up but have shown up more than once will replace without cost regardless if it's within the 1-year warranty or not. 

10 weeks 6 days to go

All I want for Christmas is some TRADER JOE'S! - Well, that's what we got :) Jesse's sister, Samantha, works at Trader Joe's and spent some time collecting items to put into gift boxes for Jesse and I. It ended up being about 4 meals including dessert and snack items! I have been entranced with looking at the labels and seeing items that, not only can I pronounce, but that I can find at a grocery store! This meal was delicious - thick spaghetti with an amazing tomato sauce that had a bit of spice to it and just the right amount of chunk, parmesan cheese (which we were coincidentally out of), and a great balsamic with garlic salad dressing. 

Now that I've been talking about Trader Joe's a bit, my cousin, Ashley, and I now have plans to head to Framingham on Saturday to do a little grocery shopping :) I'm pretty excited, but will definitely need to be put on a budget! It'll be interesting to officially be able to compare the prices between Trader's and Whole Foods. 

The nursery is near completion! We have all the furniture purchased, now we are just researching the wall decor and the window treatments. Pictures will be up soon :) As well, our friends Jim and Stacey gave us our Christmas gift yesterday and it's AMAZING - so that will be posted soon. Now that I'm on vacation I'm focusing on documenting things and getting posts ready - for instance this dinner was from Monday night but I had other things to post first. 

11 weeks, 1 day left

Each year for the holidays, my grandmother makes a MASSIVE batch of pierogi's. Then she mails them out to the family. I receive 8 pierogi's each year and I hoard them and squirrel them away eating them little by little. If anyone were to eat one of my pierogi's I would probably spontaneously combust as I wouldn't know how to react strongly enough. 

The night that the pierogi's arrived I cooked up some chicken pot stickers and then threw the pierogi's in the pan to warm up and brown just a bit. I will say that was a good move. I typically just throw them in the microwave and then eat them before the become post-microwave hard. P.S. why does it do that?! 

Jesse and I actually slept until 8:00 this morning which neither of us could remember the last time we did that! Jake usually doesn't let us sleep past 7:15 so this was blissful! Plus, I was definitely sleeping by 11:00 after watching episode 8 of The Office on the Netflix app on my iPhone. 

11 weeks, 2 days left

This is one of my favorite times of year with the incoming Christmas cards and packages that arrive :) One of the best envelopes that I opened this season was the one that contained my Shower invitation. It was made with such love and thought to who Jesse and I are as a couple. I only had one freak out moment during the planning of the invites where I called up my mom and crazily said "It better NOT say It's a BOY!!!" to which she replied "Can I put the name?" And I said "NO!" - In my defense I was ending a 5 hour drive back from a 24 hour trip to New Jersey where it was an additional 5 hours to get there! So I was a bit frazzled. I want to profusely thank Susan, Julia, Ashleigh, and Kara for working together to create a day for Jesse and I and thank those family and friends who will be taking time out of their day to come celebrate with us! It is just over a month away!!! As well,  another thank you for those that are working behind the scenes with any contributions because I know you are out there!

The Back

The Front

The Middle

28 weeks, 1 day

I did my 3 hour Glucose Tolerance Test today and man am I glad that it's over!

I got together with some family yesterday for a ladies hot beverage night (which had the bonus of dinner and dessert!) and was "out late" - I got home after 9:30!!! Upon arrival home I ate a small bag of Cheerios in an attempt at a last supper to help me out today. I was up a lot last night staring at the ceiling and thinking about eating. Poor Jake got kicked off the bed 3 times last night since he hopped up while I was still awake. The alarm went off this morning and I remained in bed while Jesse got ready for work. Then I was able to sleep for about an hour after he left. At 7:30 I wrote my Sub plans for today, emailed them in, and then went to my appointment.

Here's a fun fact - the drink was literally two times as strong as the one I drank last week. Last week it was a slightly sweeter version of Orange Soda...this week it was so strong that I winced with each sip - but managed to get it down within the 5 minutes. Within about 10 minutes my hands started to shake, so I began knitting. A woman came in who had quite the complicated blood draw orders and we chatted while the phlebotomist worked through the paperwork. She had had a gastric bypass in the spring and had lost 80 pounds. She was a mother of two kids and a tea drinker. I told her she needed to check out teavana and gave some recommendations for tea and products. She told me about the recovery of her procedure and the effect it's had on her life. While she went in to get her blood drawn my head started to spin and my whole body began to sweat. The phlebotomist saw that I was in rough shape and asked me if I wanted to lay down. The nice lady offered to walk me back there!

When I laid down one of the nurses came in and gave me a cold cloth. That was an amazing move on her part. I laid there for a bit taking deep breaths and trying to relax. Once I knew I wasn't going to vomit I took out my iPhone, opened up Netflix, and watched episode 3 of The Office. Then I had the second blood draw (the first was upon arrival to get my baseline). I closed my eyes for a bit after that and then watched episode 4. Then had the third blood draw. At this point, every few minutes I was having reflux (which is a polite version of saying I was vomiting in my mouth). Thankfully I was allowed to drink water, and that helped a LOT! About 30 minutes later (episode 5 plus a few minutes of sitting up and letting my head stop spinning), I was able to walk back out to the waiting area and await my last blood draw.

I rewarded myself with a stop at Shaw's to get Smartfood (and Sparkling Cider so I can feel fancy this weekend as well as some soda that was on sale for our guests) and then went across the street to Subway to get a Chicken Bacon Ranch foot long - which I will proudly say that I ate ALL of. After relaxing at home for a bit I got my clean on and surprised Jesse with a spotless house. Well, almost spotless...I didn't clean the office because I would have had to get on all fours to plug something in under the desk and really didn't want to do that as my back was already hurting.

This is a picture of Kara and I from last month when we were 6 months along. The updated 7 month picture will come after we get reunited (and it feels so good) this weekend!

27 weeks 5 days

Jake got his first experience with grooming this weekend. He got the works! A bath, a brush out, nails did, ears cleaned, paws treated, and teeth cleaned. Apparently, there was a special going on that gave him a free party collar because we scheduled the service between November 25th and December 25th. Not gonna lie, I laughed out loud at hime when he came out of the grooming room. He was also called a girl as we walked out. We made him wear it for a bit when he got home just so we could laugh at him and then put it on again on Sunday for Jesse's birthday celebration. This collar will make repeat appearances for Christmas Eve, Christmas day and New Year's Eve.

We went to our neighbor's house on Saturday for a holiday dinner consisting of a 22 lb turkey and all the "fixings". It was bustling with people and it was great to be part of that experience. We unfortunately had to leave immediately after eating (before the dessert even) to head to the theater and see the new Sherlock Holmes movie. I made it through my second movie without having to leave partway through to use the bathroom. That's because I paced myself and stopped drinking my Root Beer just in time! 

Sunday was Jesse's birthday! We went to his parents and had a delicious dinner and an even more fantastic dessert as well as watched some football. And by some I mean a lot of football. We got home late (for me) and I relaxed for maybe 20 minutes before heading to bed. And bed is not my favorite place surprisingly. I am having a difficult time sleeping comfortably which is unfortunate because I need to sleep. 

Today we got the delivery of christmas gifts from my parents as well as Jesse's birthday gift. Apparently Jake was looking very closely for something for him and put his head in Jesse's gift bag, stole the tissue paper, and took that to his bed to begin eating! He is such a spoiled entitled dog! 

In baby new - Adin got hiccups for the first time today! It was such a fun feeling :)

27 weeks 2 days

Yesterday Jesse and I went in for a super long appointment! We arrived at 3:15 at which point I chugged the sugary drink for my Glucose test to check for Gestational Diabetes. Then I left my urine sample and went in for an ultrasound. My uterus continues to look like it's back in a good shape. The baby is still nice and low and butt down - he's considered breech, but he's been breech since the beginning. Hopefully he explores other parts of his sac... The fluid amount looks good and all the organs are as formed as they should be and in their right place. 

Then, we went out into the waiting room. I was scheduled to do the blood draw for the Glucose test at 4:20 and at 4:00 I started to overheat, have a spinning head, get nauseous. I went to go check in with the phlebotemist and she was busy so I ran outside to get some fresh air. That seemed to help. At 4:15 I went back to the phlebotomist and she let me come sit down while she finished up paperwork. I also had blood drawn for the chicken pox exposure that I had last week. 

Then we got called in to the examination room. There was another student doing rounds so he came in and did the initial exam. As I went to lay down I saw the "alien head" coming out of my stomach and thought to ask about it. He poked at it for a few seconds and said it was worth bringing up to the doctor. He measured my uterus - 27 cm (again, right on track with my due date) and measured the heart beat - 138 beats per minute. The heartbeat sounds so strong and "normal"! When the doctor came in she looked at my "alien head" and confirmed that I have a hernia! She said it was a bit more pronounced than what she typically sees, but it's not uncommon. I just had a muscle poke through my abdominal wall. It doesn't hurt so at this point it's not a worry, just something they'll watch post baby to see if it heals itself . 

The most exciting news was seeing Adin after some baby fat has accumulated - he's a cutie! Of course, I'm biased :) 

Hello 3rd Trimester

I have great neighbors. Really, I do. There is a family next door that has been amazing since the day we moved in! The man who owns the house has lent us tool after tool as we've attempted projects. He is funny and friendly. We've done football dinners where he's brought over his homemade chili as well as beers on the patio during the summer. He has raised three great kids! The youngest was a huge help after we got a dog with toileting him and feeding him on the times we've been in a pinch. 

All of this is to preface the following picture. I am friends with the neighbors on FaceBook and randomly the youngest and middle child will post regarding what's being cooked in the household - which usually prompts a craving for me these days. On Monday, there was a post about making brownies to which I commented that they could feel free to leave me treats anytime! A while later the doorbell rang and it was the delivery of warm, ooey-gooey double fudge brownies with a perfectly crispy crust and powdered sugar! I ate 1 and 1/2 brownie Monday night and the other two Tuesday at work. Saturday we are going over the the neighbors for a 22 lb Turkey dinner and I'm going to get some pointers on making better brownies :)

Tomorrow is the annual holiday breakfast at my school. This is what I made :) It's a recipe that Laura introduced me to many years ago and I forgot about it for a few years. I made it for Anna's annual Holiday Bash last Friday so, with the input of the ladies that work in my classroom, I decided to make it for tomorrow. It's not really a breakfast item - but the breakfast lasts all day so I think it'll work. All it is is crescent rolls unrolled, cream cheese spread, and then veggies of your choice on top. DELICIOUS! Of course I went to the grocery store to pick up the crescent rolls and cream cheese and made some impulse purchases - more turkey bacon, smartfood, cape cod chips, cheese-its, and sierra mist. I really should be banned from grocery shopping for the next three months. 

THAT'S RIGHT! ONLY 3 MORE MONTHS! Or 91 days...but who's counting?!

And, this is a picture of the eggs that I cooked for my rice and eggs yesterday :) I might get that craving again soon since it was so amazing. 

26 weeks, 6 days

Craving today = rice with egg mixed in. So, upon arriving home from work I put some spanish rice on the stove, cracked open two farm raised eggs in a skillet, chopped up some chives and added it to the eggs and waited for the magic to happen. In under 20 minutes I had a large bowl of rice and eggs that were delicious! I literally ate half the box of rice and shared the other half with Jesse, sans egg because he won't eat eggs.

Jesse was down at McDonald's when I got home picking up a treat for me. He had a coupon for a free hot chocolate so he wanted to surprise me. I guess it took a bit for them to fulfill his order so he also got a coupon for a free small fry that will be fulfilled in the very near future :) I will say, the hot chocolate was quite tasty! I haven't gotten one there before and I was impressed!

Tomorrow I will have completed 27 weeks and will start my 3rd trimester. I cannot believe it! Thursday I have an appointment (that I'm half dreading) where I will have my glucose test, get tested for chicken pox (did I ever post my rant on that?!), and get an ultrasound and meet with the doctor. Depending on how the glucose test goes I may or may not post on Thursday...but pictures and stats will be coming soon! I have a feeling that my belly hasn't grown a ton...but who knows. I have put on about 6 lbs in the last 4 weeks I think. It's tough because the doctor's scale never matches up with mine...

I just saw on TV that Jessica Simpson has already signed a deal with Weight Watchers for after her pregnancy. Geesh - I would think it'd be worth seeing how your body naturally deals with the weight prior to doing that. I would give it at least a year before trying a formal diet plan...but that's just me.

26 weeks, 5 days

I'm tired...again. I feel like I have been "sick" with something consistently all for the last month plus so I don't know if it's because of that or because I am creeping up on the 3rd trimester.

During my work day I can't seem to eat enough! I struggle with not liking all the choices that I provide myself and I eye everyone else's food. Or, if it's on Anna's menu I just help myself.

I dream of the days when I can sleep through the night with out having funky dreams or going to the bathroom three times or having to move a ginormous pillow just to turn over. I also get over heated in my sleep and kick off all the blankets and then try to pull the pillow over my body in place of a blanket. It's such weird sleeping patterns!

I'm also a negative Nelly these days - hence why I haven't posted a lot lately. I will hopefully get out of this funk soon so I can have some funny stories to share with you.

I also haven't done anything embarrassing lately which is a feat in and of itself.

26 weeks down 14 to go!

I have been uncomfortable the past few days with a pain in my lower right side by my hip. It's been pretty constant and annoying. Literally I got home from work yesterday and lying on the couch was too much work. I drew myself a hot (nope, warm) bath, put some bubbles in it, and slowly lowered myself down. And there I stayed for about half an hour. I needed help to get out of the tub and my body no longer is as limber as it used to be. As I hobbled around the house I remembered that I had a pregnancy belt downstairs from Jess that I could try. So I made my way down the stairs and fitted the belt just under my bump. I was finally able to stand up straight! It was not a cure-all but it was definitely a huge improvement. I wore it while I prepared dinner and then took it off to crash on the couch for the evening.

After getting dressed today I immediately put the belt back on and wore it all day. It did two great things: 1) kept me comfy throughout the day so I could function at work and arrive home without pain and very minimal discomfort and 2) allowed me to wear a pair of maternity jeans that I thought I wouldn't be able to wear because they not only dragged down themselves causing me to have the oh-so-sexy draggy butt look but took my underwear with them requiring me to reach down into the back of my pants and hike up not only the pants but my undies with it! I had to hike them up approximately zero times today! So, I have a third pair of maternity jeans in my rotation now :)

Jesse approached me about two transgressions this evening. The first I left the TV on this morning. I had watched a DVR-ed episode of Gossip Girl this morning since I'm not going in at the crack of dawn every day anymore. I had hit the power button which typically will turn off the cable box and TV, but sometimes only turns off the cable box. I didn't stick around long enough to see that I left the TV on. The second was that I didn't flush the toilet. Here's my dirty little secret: in an attempt to not fully wake up during my many bathroom trips at night I have trained myself not to flush. And, for the record, I am a great flusher! I even put the seat down every time (because I have a fear of the spray of toilet water from the pressure of flushing). I am typically the first one in the bathroom after we wake up so I have been able to cover this awful behavior. This morning I wasn't the first in the bathroom. However, this was not the instance Jesse approached me about. Nope. It was when I used the bathroom while he was in the shower (I also don't flush when someone is in the shower because I'm convinced that the shower and toilet share the same water line and when you flush you get dirty water on you in the shower). I guess I never realized the issues I have regarding a toilet until now...

Anywho - the point of sharing this is because I was laughing to the point of pain and tears. He has definitely learned how to communicate with me things that he would like for me to do in a way that does not come across as judgmental or angry. His opening line was something like "I found something yellow that had been left to mellow with a half a wad of toilet paper" (did I mention I try to reduce my usage of toilet paper to be kind to the earth?). Usually we begin with "I've got a bone to pick with you" so this approach was amazing. I could barely stop laughing to acknowledge his two points and apologize for my laziness - which is what it was...or forgetfulness. I keep forgetting to pull the pregnesia card.

25 weeks 5 days

Jesse shared his germs with me. Now I'm sick...again. I used to have a great immune system. This baby sucked all the good antibodies for himself. I'm OK with that - but not a fan of the stuffy nose, sore throat, and constant look of just having finished crying after I blow my nose that prompts co-workers to ask "Are you OK?"

A Victoria's Secret commercial is on tv and as much as I don't look like a single one of those models I do have some cleavage sans push-up bra that poses some competition for them :)

This afternoon my lower right side starting pulling. So I went poop. It was a good poop. Then at 3:00 it started hurting again and it pretty much hasn't stopped. The baby is moving and grooving pretty well cause I fed him nuggets and fries but I'm not a comfy mommy right now. Hopefully my uterus finished growing or whatever it is settles down. Maybe it's Adin trying to push his way out, but he's going the wrong direction. 

I was in a Kindergarten classroom this afternoon and they love to ask me about being pregnant. Some questions included "Are you married?" "Did you want a baby?" "Did you go to the doctor's to get an egg?" (my personal favorite) "Did you want a boy?" "Can you name him [insert that child's name here] next time?" and others. All of these questions were sparked by my simply struggling to sit on the carpet with them. I was telling Jesse about it on the way home and he laughed and said I was fairly close to "Ask you mom/dad" as a response since their questions were getting more intrusive. 

25 weeks 4 days

On an impulse, Jesse and I went down to New York this weekend. We were going to go next weekend for a moving party, but got an invite Thursday evening to head down on Friday. So, after work, an oil change, and packing we got in the car and headed down. Jesse and I have experienced some horrific driving situations in Connecticut and New York - but let me tell you...this drive was AMAZING! In 2.5 hours we arrived at the brand new Chasse homestead in New York. We also found a Starbucks enroute that is conveniently located right off the highway.

We got the grand tour and enjoyed each others company that evening before going to bed around midnight. It was an awful night's sleep. Jesse was sick and popping Chloraseptic lozenges like it was candy. Pop, suck, pop, suck. Jake was pacing and unsettled. Then, the wake up time for the boys was 6:15, and consequently we gals were up too. I got some snuggle time with Kara before we finally roused for breakfast.

We were out the door and exploring their new terrain to find adequate shopping bright and early. In fact we were in the Walmart parking lot by 8:30 realizing that other stores we would need to go to wouldn't be open for a bit. The boys were doing the heavy work at Home Depot and packing and moving boxes. By 11:30 all of the shopping was complete and Kara and I had made a bed of pillows and blankets on their family room floor whilst watching Knocked Up (which is fairly appropriate for both of us).

By 4:30, the boys had taken down a dozen or so trees and we had ordered dinner from an amazing local restaurant that served comfort food and whose slogan was "Put some south in your mouth". At some point, we will buy one of the t-shirts with that slogan. By 6:00 Lion King was on TV and the boys were outside shooting cans, tin, and a cat (photo). By  7:45 the movie was over, all the songs were sung by Kara and I, and we were realizing that it would not be OK to go to bed before 9:00...being the adults that we are. So, we toughed it out until 9:20 and then all of us shuffled and fell in to bed.

This morning Kara and Matt cooked up a great breakfast, we snapped a belly photo (to come when internet is added to the new homestead), got a photo of the happy new homeowners outside of their house, and headed back. I'm happy to say we made it home in LESS THAN 2.5 hours (yes, Jesse drove fast, but he kept pace with everyone else). Since getting home, I have done a few loads of laundry, grocery shopping, watched a movie, and snuggled with Jake (who is EXHAUSTED!). We have a fire blazing and both of us are yawning up a storm. Jake is in the midst of a pretty intense dream as I type including noises and full body movement...on the couch between Jesse and I.

In other news - I am officially unable to fit into my own t-shirts and have began wearing Jesse's. Additionally, I have taken all "big kid" poops this week, where as the last 12+ weeks have merely been tiny nuggets that come in 2's and 3's. It's good to get cleaned out!

25 weeks!

15 weeks to go...it's the final countdown (almost).

I can't really top yesterday's post - so I won't try.

I was reading the weekly "What to Expect When You're Expecting" segment for this week and it says that my baby can see! It then encourages parents to mess with their child by shining a flashlight into your uterus and your baby will kick. I can't figure out if I think that's an awesome idea or an awful one. I also can't figure out if I want Adin to see what's really surrounding him - maybe that will be the first thing I do to scar him for life.

I was talking with a woman at work a bit over a week ago and she was asking if he's kicking and rolling. At that point I didn't really know the difference...I do now! Adin has been rolling up a storm the last few days. He's given up on kicking completely and is just rolling around. My illogical anxious self is wondering if he'll wrap the umbilical cord around his neck. Then my logical calm self steps in and reminds me that with parents as smart as us we wouldn't have a child who does something that dumb. I'll have to re-read this sentence the first time Adin pees in my face or eats dog food.

I have been trying to figure out exactly when I can call myself "6 months along". I know some people start saying it around 24 weeks (because 24 divided by 4 = 6). However, a pregnancy is really 10 months (because 40 divided by 4 = 10)...so I kind of want to wait until I'm 12 weeks from my due date to say I'm 6 months. Is that weird?! And P.S. I wish I could send this to my high school math teacher who said, in front of the whole class, that I wouldn't get to college because I was so bad at math. Well, lady, not only did I make it through college (and fail my math entrance exam thanks to your bad teaching), but I went to graduate school and post-graduate school as well. So there! (huge tongue out!) For the record, her reasoning for my bad grades that she gave my parents was that I snacked too much in class.

24 Weeks, 6 Days

The joys of being pregnant. I waddle. I grunt when I lift off from a seated position. Best of all, I pass wind in meetings at work. Yep. Audible but not smelly (thank goodness). It took me just a moment to register what had happened and then I politely said "Excuse me. Pregnancy!" and the meeting continued on. I immediately confessed my transgression to Jesse when I got in the car to go home. He could do nothing but laugh and shake his head - and then blame the cabbage soup that I made this weekend that I've had for dinner and lunch the last two days.

I also single-handedly finished a blueberry pie since Saturday. I had a craving and so I fulfilled it. This evening I really wanted Olive Garden bread sticks (thanks, Kristin) but wasn't able to get any of those - so I had a great salad complete with avacado with a dressing that I made myself from a recipe passed on by a co-worker (thanks, Anna).

As of tomorrow, I will have only 15 weeks left. Yep. And, shortly after the New Year (January 3rd) I will be in the single digits for weeks left.

24 weeks 5 days

Thanksgiving came and went. It was a nice reprieve from work and nice to relax.

Jesse and I got the majority of our Christmas shopping done :) It's nice to have that responsibility off of our shoulders when it's not even December. Speaking of it not being December, what is with this weather?! It is SO warm out (65 degrees) and it's the end of November. This is either a good sign, or a bad sign and I'm placing my bets on bad. I remember last year having snow piles in parking lots in June. I bet that'll happen again. There's all this talk of global warming. Whether it's true or not my theory is that seasons are shifting. Instead of winter (snow) being November through early March I think it's more December through April or even May...but I'm not super smart nor up on science and global issues so don't take my opinion to the bank.

My newest pet peeve is people who pronounce Aaron and Erin differently and think that when I say my own name it is the Aaron version. Clearly I'm a female and the female version of the spelling is Erin. Grr. I encountered the second instance of this within two days this evening at CVS. I had to pick up an antibiotic and I gave my name to the clerk. Apparently when he looked on the computer for my prescription he search Aaron and had to come back to ask how it was spelled. When I spelled it he then corrected ME on the pronunciation.

In other news - I have cellulitis. Yep. Jesse and I keep coming up with other names to call it like Clap of the Calf and Syph Shin. I almost didn't go to the doctor and had myself convinced that the ever growing spot on my leg was nothing until I went to the nurse at my school today. She took one look and said I should call my doctor. Now I have to take antibiotics 4 times a day for a week. Joy.

In bigger news! Our crib was purchased by the in laws and put together this weekend :) it's a nice sight in the ever changing nursery.

24 Weeks!!!

I start the last day of each work week with a nice trip to a local coffee shop and I get a wheat bagel with egg and cheese and - if they have it - a large hot apple cider. Loving this day already! It began with music in the bathroom during my shower (Snoop Dogg and Gin Blossoms, yeah, we're eclectic). I also packed up the treats that I cooked up last night for my ladies and gave Jake a goodbye hug and kiss. Jesse promised a fire this afternoon and I'm hitting up a sale at Kohl's on the way home to get some more Christmas shopping done :) 

This morning as I was sitting at said coffee shop an older man sat behind me. I had headphones on - which to me is the international signal for "I'm not available". I then hear him say "So how many friends do you have on facebook?" I was one of one people sitting at the coffee shop so clearly I knew who he was talking to, so I politely replied "Too many!" He then asked if you can get rid of friends so I showed him how. Then he asked about getting out of pages he had "liked" so I explained to him how to do that. Then I put my headphones back on and continued my searching. 

I had exhausted facebook so I moved on to catching up on my blogs. I was reading The Vegetable Life by my cousin's wife. After a few minutes he chuckled and then said "A Vegetable Life! That's easy! Get ripe, get picked, get eaten!" Personally, I think he missed the point of the blog...

After work I stopped by said coffee shop again to pick up some gift cards for Jesse. The wait was ridiculous and I was "that person" who cut in line. There was a high school girl in line ahead of me who was dressed very inappropriately. She stepped out of line to go talk to her friends and one of the girls behind the counter was ready to take an order - so I gave them mine! Then she came back and the guy behind me made sure to mention, over and over again, how it's the right thing to let her order first because she had been there longer. I thought about popping the pregnancy stance and making him feel bad for trying to make a pregnant lady feel guilt for not wanting to stand and wait any longer. 

Next stop was Kohl's. Ok, it was really McDonald's for some nuggets and fries, but then it was Kohl's. I found a pair of maternity jeans with a clearance sticker for $17.86! I looked through the entire two racks of them and there wasn't another single pair of jeans on clearance - but the sticker was there. I figured maybe someone had grabbed it from the clearance rack that I was too lazy to go look for and had put them back on the regular price rack in exchange for a different pair.  I had a 15% off coupon and some Kohl's cash to add to my transaction. I picked up some Christmas gifts for the kids on our list and headed to the register. The jeans rang up for much more than $17.86, but of course I politely mentioned to the cashier what the sticker price was. So she corrected it...I ended up saving over $30 on them! And by the way, why are maternity jeans so darn expensive?! It's not like they come with buttons or zippers...

23 weeks 6 days

I am in a pie baking mood :)

It is tradition in the Smith/Miller/Devine family (whichever name you want to attach this to) to make an amazing, in my humble opinion, home made chocolate cream pie. I made the first batch on Friday with my friend Jessica. I left one with her family and took one home myself. Jesse and I devoured it within a few days...he had 2 pieces, I had 4. Sometimes I disgust myself. 

Then, I got inspired to make a little treat for some co-workers this holiday season. So I made some more pies this evening. 

Now, before you start thinking I'm AMAZING, check out this next picture. 

I added the pencil to put these to scale for you. 

They are mini pies!!! I discovered these a year or two ago. They are the perfect size for one person to thoroughly enjoy and I can turn 1 pie into 12 mini pies. I got saucy with my assistant principal this afternoon so I decided to smooth it over by bragging about and then promising a piece of my wonderful chocolate pie. At that point I was planning on making 1 big one and giving out slices. I quickly did some math (and by quickly I mean over the course of 2 days) and realized that 6-8 slices wouldn't cut it - hence the MINI ones!

I did, however, double the batch and make a large one for Jesse and I - which we will begin to enjoy this evening. I just have to keep myself from enjoying it for breakfast tomorrow morning. 

I also was inspired to do more than throw some ravioli's in some boiling water and I put together a salad! I added my new obsession, turkey bacon, on top to provide us with some protein. It made a beautiful plate! 

Tomorrow is a half day of work for us, which for me will begin with a morning at the local coffee shop with some ladies from work. I love spending the morning at the coffee shop because I get to see some of Jesse's coworkers and my own as I sit there with my cocoa and egg and cheese sandwich and play on my computer. Usually I work, tomorrow I will play :) 

I can't wait for turkey day!!! I actually enjoyed Christmas music in the store this evening! 

23 weeks 5 days

This picture is for my mom to suffice her need to see my belly. There it is. All 23 centimeters of it. 

It's been a few days since I've posted. Thursday morning my grandfather died. I wasn't very close to him - but it was sad all the same. 

I couldn't sleep Thursday night and ended up giving up at 3:30 AM. I got up and started doing laundry. I put a load of towels in the wash and when they were done I went to change them to the dryer. They were sopping wet - so I figured the load was off balance and I ran it again. Again, they were sopping wet. So I took the towels out, wrung them out and tried to put them in the dryer. They were too heavy for the dryer to run even after I gave the drum a push start. So I gave up and put a load of whites in the wash. As the water was filling up I started hanging the towels on the drying rack. I soon realized why the towels were sopping wet when a fun little noise began coming out of the washing machine - the agitator had decided to stop agitating but the motor was still spinning wildly. Our washing machine was broke. So, by 4:45 AM I was online researching washers and dryers yet again. Fortunately - I found what I think was a really  good deal! We got set of whirlpool washer and dryer, next day delivery, with all the needed hoses, vents, cords, taxes, etc. for a mere $720! We saved $300 for purchasing it as a set and 10% because we had a coupon. Not too shabby! The deal we were looking at last weekend would have been just below $1000 for a set of Kenmore's. 

Saturday the washer and dryer was delivered and I began a laundry binge. I did about 6 loads of laundry Saturday and another 3 on Sunday - I may have been a bit behind! 

Sunday I went to a baby shower for a coworker and was the driver to get her there. It was under the ruse of going to see Breaking Dawn and I was the driver and had to pick up the hostess of the party. And of course, to get her in the house, we had to go see a picture that the hostess' daughter had made for us. Of course, after the shower, we went to see Breaking Dawn and now I'm contemplating re-reading the entire series again before Adin arrives. First, I have to lend Anna the first book and see if she gets hooked. 

The below picture is my weekend breakfast. An egg and cheese on a mini-bagel with three slices of turkey bacon on the side. Turkey bacon is my new obsession! If you get the thin sliced kind it has the taste and texture of real bacon - but take a look at the nutrition facts! What a difference!!! I fried up the whole package so I can just microwave a few pieces up and have a mid week snack :)

23 Weeks

I can't believe I forgot to mention this...but in the wee hours of the morning yesterday I walked into a wall. Yep, that's right. But not just a wall, the corner of two walls. I have gotten up to pee so many times in the middle of the night that I've almost trained myself to not wake up fully so it's easier to go back to bed. So I was basically zombie walking leading with my face and had my eyes closed and slammed my cheek onto the corner of two walls. In my defense even if I'd had my eyes open it wouldn't have made a difference. Partly because it was pitch black in our bedroom but mostly because I'm blind as a bat. However, I should have had my hands out to feel my way along, at least this is what Jesse told me when i filled him in the next morning. The next morning my cheek was red, a bit swollen, and had a red line where the corner met my face. Luckily, I don't bruise easily on my face. The only bruise I can even remember getting on my face was when I took a frisbee to the mouth at a Westfield party while playing Polish. I may never play that game again.

I have been attempting to be a good pregnant lady and drink plenty of water - but to be quite honest I'm not a fan of the liquid. So I had bought some of the squirtable water flavor things and I have added that to my Klean Kanteen. It still takes me two to three work days to make it through one. I had bought a nalgene with a straw last spring that I loved drinking out of - and would even drink water, lots of it! But I dropped it so many times that the top of it chipped away so much that now if it tips water will just flow out. So that water bottle is retired. Jesse has had the same water bottle for about 5 years, so he finally wanted to get a new one. Last night, after dinner, we went to Sports Authority and each got a new water bottle. I have been tentative for about a year to try the camelback straws that you need to bite to suck. That concept just didn't make sense to me. But, I found a 32 oz camelback with the bite and suck straw for only $15.99 (the 24 oz was $14.99 and I felt the extra dollar was well worth the additional 8 oz). I used it today and by 1:00 I had drank the whole thing. I snuck into my assistant principal's office and refilled it in the elusive water bubbler and by the time I was heading home at 3:30 I had finished that! So, I officially drank 64 oz of water today! I was pretty proud of myself until I saw my cousin Ashley drank 16 8 oz glasses of water in one day...pretty sure she doubled my intake. How she doesn't spend her entire day peeing I'll never know!


I did some music time for Adin last night and these are two of the songs that he bounced around to:
You Won't See Me by the Beatles
Stockholm Syndrome by Muse

And as previously mentioned - here are the pictures from dinner last night. It was fairly tasty - a little bland. In hindsight I should have added some spices to the mix. Next time...

22 weeks, 6 days

Once a month I have to stay an hour later at work for a staff meeting. Today they served popcorn and water which hit the spot perfectly. I was the only one who went up for seconds during the meeting and then thirds at the end of the meeting. I was willing to withstand criticism for being the only one to get an extra helping during the meeting.

On my drive home I called Jesse to ask him to put the chicken I had pulled out last night and put in the fridge into some warm water to finish defrosting. He informed me that he was in line at McDonald's picking me up a treat! What an amazing husband! I got to come home to a medium fry :)

Very rarely do I want to "cook" when I get home from work. A few days ago I told Jesse I didn't want to cook dinner and his response was "What are you going to do when you're a mom?" to which I replied "What are you going to do when you're a dad?" and then a series of comments and questions followed where I made the argument that he has as much responsibility to cook as I do and just because I'm a "mom" doesn't mean that I have a specific set of responsibilities. He probably regretted his choice of words at that moment. I'm going to blame the pregnancy hormones for that tirade.

Anyways, my point is that today I was inspired to actually cook a meal. I was feeling nostalgic for the days when Jesse and I were in our crappy apartment and would buy a meal in a box that you add liquids and chicken, cover, and bake and viola! a lovely pasta and meat dinner...with much sodium and preservatives, etc. So, I made my own version. I put in a pyrex container a can of Cream of Mushroom condensed soup, a can of stewed tomatoes, half a bag of frozen corn, and some water. Totally didn't measure anything or put much thought into it. Then I added enough pasta to cover the bottom and laid three breasts of chicken on top. It's been about 15 minutes...so we will see how it comes out (if I remember, I'll take some pictures and add them to this post).

Now I'm watching Gossip Girl and debating getting off the couch and getting a cookie...decisions, decisions, decisions....

22 weeks, 5 days

Yesterday was the 3 week mark and time to do another tracing. I didn't grow very much, but continued to round out. 

I had an appointment today and was sorely disappointed to find out that it wasn't to get an ultrasound. However, it was the quickest appointment yet - so I can't complain. We got to hear the heartbeat and got my first belly measurement...I am 23 centimeters. My doctor explained that they are looking for 1 centimeter per week along that I am - so I'm pretty much right on track! Our next appointment is in 4 weeks and that one we will get an ultrasound as I'm borderline "high risk" - my first ultrasound showed a heart shaped sac that was on the small size. This can lead to the baby being in a breeched position and me needed a C-section. My other ultrasounds have looked good. If they didn't then I would have had a specialist do the anatomy scan at 18 weeks...however my doctor explained that she will make the case to my insurance for an ultrasound at 27 weeks to continue to monitor this. Honestly, I won't argue!

I posted the below picture because yesterday I stopped by the outlets on my way home from Laura's to check out the Vera Bradley store. Not only was it busy, but it had a great sale! I wanted to get a more mommy-friendly bag in preparation for this next stage of my life. Last fall when Jay and Beth were visiting we went to this outlet with them and Beth found an amazing bag that she was excited to use because of the placement and size of pockets and their use for holding pacifiers, etc. Luckily, over a year later, I found the same style bag in my favorite pattern! I thought about getting a new pattern - but this one is just so perfect in terms of color and design...I LOVE the birds :) Plus, with the sale it was under $30! I thought I would have to spend $60 to get a bag the right size - but NOPE! And for the record (for those of you reading this and not understanding why someone would spend $60 on a bag...) I don't have many pairs of shoes, and I only buy new clothes when something is worn to shreds (literally in some cases). I also only get my hair cut twice a year - so I'm a fairly low maintenance gal. This is my one thing. I only get it once a year - if THAT. The last bag I bought was at the beginning of last school year, I believe before October, so it's been over a year. I feel I deserve this little nugget of goodness every once in a while. 

Additionally, for the record, I snapped this picture out of boredom because I ended up being stuck in about 40 minutes worth of traffic attempting to leave the outlets. Serves me right for parking in the farthest lot from the exit just to get a coupon book and then trying to leave at closing time. 

22 weeks 4 days

It was Thursday. I knew that all day. That is, until I got in the car with Jesse to head home. Then it was Friday. We stopped at McDonald's and I got my 4 nugs and small fries and Jesse got two grilled chicken snack wraps with no sauce. I snuggled on the couch, ate my food, then got some celery and cream cheese for an additional snack... At 5:11 I realized I needed to be at a 5:00 appointment because it was Thursday. I hustled, got there, and then apologized profusely to my doctor.

Friday - I did some home improvement projects! First, I taped up the phrases and made sure that they were level. Then I peeled off the backing and pressed the phrase to the wall and very slowly removed the top sheet. Last, viola! it's done. 

Plus the company gave us a free phrase for spending over $35!

We also did some shopping at Pier 1 and got some festive place mats for the dining room table and some flowers for our standing container in the office. We also picked up a few gifts along the way :) Our in-laws came over to look in amazement at my growing belly and have some tasty pizza and Anna's homemade dressing recipe. For the first time in a while I had some pretty yucky back pains so I made it through dinner and then changed into PJ's and propped myself up on the couch. 

Saturday we went in to Boston and walked around Newbury street, got Pink Berry, checked out Quincy Market, and meandered through the common. We found GREAT parking for only $11 which was pretty amazing! We got to see the marching of Occupy Boston. On the way home we stopped at Kohls to pick up a few things and were able to take two people off of our Christmas shopping list and start making purchases for another three people. Not too shabby. For dinner we went to the 99 where I had to send back my steak because it was undercooked and felt the need to explain by saying "I'm sorry, I'm pregnant, I can't eat it when it's still that red and juicy". One of these days I'm going to actually see the lugey that hocked onto my meal after I've sent it back. 

This morning Jesse found an advertisement for Sears which states that appliances are 45% off! So I believe we will be ordering our new washer and dryer today...the good news is that we can get a better model than I had originally thought we could! A Kenmore 3.6 cubic feet washing and 7.0 cubic feet dryer. 

Next stop - Laura's house for a jewelry party. I may be able to find some gifts there - but if not I may stop at the Vera Bradley outlet and pick myself up a new bag...I haven't gotten a new one in well over and year and there's just so many pretty patterns! Plus, I can get a slightly bigger one in anticipation of all the extra items I will have to carry around as a super mom!

Tonight - another tracing of the bump to be posted tomorrow!

22 weeks

One of my high school friends actually works in the same town as I do - which is a weird coincidence with the small size of my high school and the fact that it is in another state...but I digress. Every once in a while we remember that we work a few hundred feet from each other and attempt to make plans to spend time with each other. Well, today we did! It was supposed to be tomorrow, but I have a 5:00 appointment, so I would have had to cut our date short. So we made plans for today!

I got to see her amazingly cute cottage and drink some amazing (I think caffeine free) chai from Trader Joe's (Susan, you should see if Pots can pick some up for me!) and catch up on the last five months. I got to relive my Europe trip and all the details I could still recall and of course chat baby. I also got to hear about her amazing plans to drop everything for a year and live in New Zealand. Of course I am so excited for the arrival of Adin, however I admire this girl's bravery and plans. Jesse and I sometimes talk about taking a year to live and work in another country and maybe someday we will with our child(ren) and that'll be an amazing experience for all. Anywho - it's just fun to hear about other's plans!

I am also very excited for Kara and Matt that they are having a healthy baby boy! Especially that the penis really was there after a bad experience with an ex-doctor.

Tomorrow is the last work day of the week for us. It's nice to have a short work week and a long weekend. We are hoping to find something fun to do in Boston this weekend - any suggestions?

21 weeks, 6 days

I was feeling guilty about the foods I was choosing to eat and how unhealthy they were, so I had purchased some organic snacks on Sunday. I ate an organic cereal bar, Annie's Mac and Cheese, two cheese sticks, potato cake and corn, and dried cranberries yesterday. Adin didn't move very much. Today I ate similarly while at work and Adin was fairly quiet. Then, on my way home from work I stopped and got a 4 piece chicken nugget and small fry from McDonald's (for a whopping $2.13!!) and ate that - and Adin danced like he was auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance! So maybe I really should give in to my cravings more because it makes my little man happy. At least that's what I'll tell myself as I demolish a bowl of Friendly's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream (and refuse to look at the nutrition facts).

And maybe I'll end my night with a handful of Sweet Potato and Beet chips that contain a full serving of vegetables in each ounce and pour myself a glass of V8 Splash...it's all about balance, right?

On a side note I had a moment of freaked out happiness at work today when I realized during a Kindergarten math lesson that in just over 4 months Jesse and I will have another person to take care of for at least the next 18 years if not the rest of our lives...wow. And for the record - the math lesson was on graphing so what prompted my thought pattern I do not know.

21 weeks, 5 days

So a coworker approached me in the hall at the end of the day today and said "So, I'm not trying to be nosy, but are you pregnant?"...apparently today is the first time that she's been sure enough to approach me and ask. Meanwhile, I think me belly looks smaller today than it did Saturday. I had a good poop yesterday so it made room for other things to settle back in!

We had a busy weekend this weekend, and I had a mini emotional breakdown to prove it!

Friday we cleaned our house top to bottom. Correction - Friday we cleaned up all the dog fur! Jesse and I always say that if it wasn't for Jake we wouldn't have to clean as much or as often! Then Saturday we got up, showered, packed, and headed down to drop Jake off at Eric and Laura's for an overnight and then made our way to New Jersey. Honestly, I think we took the worst way possible to get there. Maybe not the worst, but definitely not the best...needless to say, 5 hours later we were there!

We checked out a street fair that was dedicated to a river that had flooded some local towns during Irene. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have given the river a fair...but that's just me. We walked up, we walked down. Jesse and I each got an Oriental Steak Tip kebab which I lovingly referred to as a meat stick the rest of the day (if you knew Jesse's roommate Brando you would understand why I lowered myself to a teenager type of humor). We watched some firefighters test each other to see who could climb the highest up the ladder and came to the conclusion that if we are ever on the 4th floor during a fire we might as well get our affairs in order!

That night we got to see Ben and Jen's new place (Jen let me borrow some maternity tops) and then headed to a "club" called Banana's for a comedy show. It was awesome and surprisingly with our group of people we were deemed "the good ones" at the show for being so "well behaved" - not something I would have normally entitled us, but I'll take it. I felt like the party pooper for not being up to going out after the show ended - and I definitely appreciated my husband for standing up for me and immediately saying no on my behalf. It ended up working out because Christine and I went to bed shortly after arriving back at the condo.

The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast cooked by Christine and Brandon and then headed out for another five hour car ride. We took a risk and went 95 north for the whole trip...and didn't hit a bit of traffic going over the George Washington Bridge :) There was a marathon so I was hoping everyone would be settled around the city and we wouldn't get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. We picked up the pup at Eric and Laura's and then arrived home where I promptly devoured a good amount of cape cod chips and dip. I felt pretty disgusting afterwards - thus when I went grocery shopping before the Pats game I decided to purchase some healthy and organic snacks.

When I got home from shopping I got attacked by the freezer door while I was putting things away. I punched it back and screamed at it and then began to cry. It was at that point that I realized how tired I was. I really cannot handle doing ANYTHING on the weekend that doesn't involve sitting somewhere where I can readily fall asleep and not feel like I'm being rude.

How were your weekends?

21 weeks, 1 day

I wasn't going to post today - but since Kate has no power and this provides her some enjoyment then I will sit my bum on the couch and type. Promising something amusing, however, is another story...

Today was Thursday, and honestly Thursday for me is only enjoyable because it is immediately followed by Friday which is the end of the work week! It is also immediately after Wednesday, which is the most common day to commit suicide - a lovely fact that I happen to know that I share as often as possible. Whenever talking about work stuff I always mention it.

For instance - today I was talking with Anna and for some reason we were talking about Secret Santa...oh! I told her if I got her name this year I would buy her and Arc notebook from staples. She said she'd fold the corner of her name in the hat so I'd know which one to pull. Haha! Then she mentioned doing little gifts every year and we both agreed that was too much. However, a small gift once a week is doable. First I suggested Friday - but then realized we are doing Coffee Haven Friday - so that wouldn't given time to sneak in an item and hide it where our person would find it. So then I threw out Wednesday and again shared my unnecessary fact that it's the most common day to commit suicide.

Good story, huh?

I attempted to get dressed this morning, but quickly realized I didn't have the items in my maternity wardrobe to pull off the look I wanted. And I'll go ahead and admit the look that I wanted to sport today was inspired by an outfit that a Kindergartener work yesterday. Yep, a 5 year old. I need more plain long sleeve shirts, which is comical because I had two picked out when Kara and I went shopping and I talked myself out of getting both. All in the name of being frugal!

My final story for the day is to brag about the amount of dinner I put down my gullet. I ate about 8 1/2" of a 12" sub (I measured it) and a bag of salt and vinegar chips (I didn't really measure it, that was a lie). I am feeling incredible full and content. Now I just need to lay myself down on the couch and get ready to sleep! I did not sleep well last night between Jake and his largeness and my pulled neck/back muscle. I could move in my sleep without waking up in pain, and turning over to try to give one side of my body a rest was a painful chore! I ended up booting Jake from the bed and yelling at him in an attempt to sleep somewhat comfortably. To top if off, I work one the of stick on heat pads today and was asked all day "What happened?!"...but it feels better now. Not all better, but better.

Hello Shelf! (aka 21 weeks)

I officially caught myself standing with my hands resting on the top of my belly - it has officially become my shelf! And I'm not gonna lie - I liked it!

We finally decided to be adequate puppy parents and get our dog some flea and tick treatments and heart worm...today was our 2 year anniversary of owning Jake! And we haven't gotten him any of these items since his first vet appointment...so...it's been a while. Oops!

Doesn't he look impressed? 

Jesse and I were also being playful this evening and I definitely pulled a muscle in my neck. Guess I won't be looking side to side for a few hours or a few days! I might pick up one of those 8 hour heat packs that stick to your skin to put on tomorrow morning to loosen things up. Those basically look like I have a giant pad taped to my body and rarely last 8 hours, but at least it's something! 

20 weeks, 6 days

At work today I came across a mini catalogue that had the word Heifer on the front. Clearly, I was intrigued because to me heifer is a funny word! I showed it to a coworker, Lynda, expecting her to giggle like I was...however she had seen this catalogue before! As I flipped through it she told me what she had purchased out of it. If you click on this link to Heifer International you will see what was not a laughing matter. In fact, when I tried to tell Jesse about this semi-funny story he had also heard of Heifer before and thus did not think my immaturity was funny.

I'm also going to start looking for my new festive background for my blog. Maybe something with turkeys...

On my way home we stopped at McDonald's and got my Nugget Mighty Kids Meal. I encountered one of my least favorite interactions where the drive thru person tells me that a drink is part of the meal yet charges me separately for it. My cousin Tyler had some great suggestions for how to get around that and get the nuggets, little bit of fries, and apple slices (for less money!). I have saved all of the toys from my kids meals and none of my students seem to be that interested so I can go without the toy! Of course now my husband is on his own for dinner tonight as I eat my 4th snack size Kit Kat.

I am watching Once Upon a Time...not super impressed nor am I that in to it. It's much too scattered and far fetched for my liking. I'm on the 2nd episode (which is on On-Demand), so I'll probably give it one more and see if a character grows on me. I really liked watching New Girl on On-Demand, but they only put the first few episodes on there and I'm too lazy/forgetful to DVR it.

I'm hoping to do some work from home - however the farthest I've gotten is to take out my work binder and put it on the couch next to me. Oh, and look at it a few times as I pause in my blog-musings.

Countdown to Thanksgiving: 23 days :)

Happy Halloween!

First, I need to pause and take my dog out. 


Next, I need to fill Jake's kong with peanut butter because it is Halloween and he should get some treats too. 


Finally I'm going to start my post.


Obviously today is Halloween. As an Elementary School teacher this is a day that basically gets "mailed in" for kids. There are parade's, performances, and parties for all of the kids. To top it off, our school building decided to play a trick on all of us and lose power at some point in the wee hours of the morning. Thus, we had school sans power. Yes, there was a generator. Yes there was heat. No there were no lights in the classroom. No there were no fans to blow the heat around the rooms. Thankfully, from what I've heard, the heat was restored at 6:05 this evening and we will not have the day off tomorrow. I think now I'm sad about that...but so very glad that we are not going to have to make today up in June! I feel bad for those districts that are going on their 2nd day off tomorrow and especially bad for those that had days off for Irene. Goodbye June!


My bro-workers and I dressed up as crayons. One of the ladies purchased the materials and over the last week did a lot of work to make them come alive! We all had a different color shirt that had stripes and said crayola with a matching hat that was to simulate the tip of the crayon. It was cute to see the kids reactions ("hey, you're a crayon!" or "there's another one!"). This is a costume that I will keep and hopefully next year we can repeat...but maybe make a box for us all to pose behind for our photo op. 

On the way home from work I told Jesse I was sick of facebook. He got excited. Then I said I wanted a Mighty Meal from McDonald's and his excitement disappeared. He didn't think I was serious though, because he drove right by. So as a compromise we had chicken patties for dinner. I also had a kumato and mozzarella cheese on the side. My belly is now sufficiently full - maybe too full! 


We had a special visit from the Westfield's - they stopped by with the kids for some trick-or-treating. Lots of pictures were taken and hopefully I'll get my hands on some so I can share :)